Partnership Is Creating Change - Joining Forces to Develop Forest and Grassland Fire Management in Armenia

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Partnership Is Creating Change - Joining Forces to Develop Forest and Grassland Fire Management in Armenia Partnership is creating change - Joining forces to develop forest and grassland fire management in Armenia - The United Nations Development Programme, the Armenian Rescue Service, the OSCE office in Yerevan and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (Germany) partnered up in 2011 to find synergies in developing forest and grassland fire management in Armenia. As a result more than 300 participants from various organisations were brought together in three days of fire management events between the 12th and 14th of September, 2011. The events led to the establishment of a National Task Force on Wildfire Management, which will start operating later in 2011. Wildfires are posing an increasing risk under changing climate conditions threatening ecosystems, livelihoods and even human health. Changes in land-use practices and deficiencies in fire management are creating conditions for devastating fires, Encouraging stakeholder discourse. Representatives from UNDP, majority of which are human caused. Armenian Rescue Service and Global Fire Monitoring Center. Mutual endeavours of various organisations are required to improve forest and grassland fire prevention, pre-suppression and suppression in Armenia. The joint venture of the parties is setting a good example on how partnership can create change beyond individual efforts. Ready to respond. Forest fire early response teams in action in Command Staff field exercise (right and below). “Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts in Mountain Forest Ecosystems of Armenia” UNDP/GEF/00051202 Project Identifying the problems Nevertheless, even if changes in land-use and climate are creating the conditions for grassland and forest Global wildfire trends fires, the overwhelming cause for wildfires is human Both the frequency and size of forest and grassland behaviour. For example traditional practices on fires is increasing in many areas around the world8. agricultural lands, particularly at forest’s edge, Changes in land-use practices and deficiencies in activities in forests, careless handling and deliberate forest and grassland fire management are allowing ignition of fires cause as much as 95% of wildfires more fires to ignite and run their course leading to around the world1. severe impacts on ecosystems, livelihoods and human health. Forest and grassland fires in Armenia The wildfire situation in Armenia is no different to that Global climate change is contributing significantly to of many other parts of the world. The number of the increasing incidence of wildfires. Large wildfires wildfires has increased during the past decade and are recorded during heat waves coinciding with low especially the extremely hot and dry year of 2010 led precipitation and strong winds. Increasing to a significant increase in the area burned by temperatures and reduced relative humidity affect the wildfires. In 2010 fires broke out also in more humid moisture content of fuel and thus, for example, also areas of the country where severe fire seasons are fire frequency, intensity and severity2. Additionally not often experienced. For example the regions of changing climate conditions can increase fuel levels Gegharkunik and Shirak saw a 10-fold increase in the through disturbances, such as pest outbreaks and number of grassland fires in 2010 compared to the wind-storms2 as well as through increased productivity 2006-2009 average3. In the whole country, the of vegetation in regions with sufficient precipitation. number of grassland fires in 2010, just under 2700 Fire behaviour responds immediately to these changes incidents, was over four times the 2006-2009 average making fire activity very sensitive to climate change2. (Fig. 1)3. Furthermore, the number of and area Increasing frequency and size of wildfires in affected by forest fires also increased significantly in combination with other extreme weather events, such 2010. The area burned by forest fires in 2010 totalling as heavy rainfall, can lead to severe secondary 852 hectares was nearly 9-fold higher compared to disasters like flooding, erosion and loss of soil fertility4. the average of the previous four years5. 2700 2400 2100 1800 1500 1200 900 600 300 0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Grassland fire incidents Figure 1. Number of grassland fires between 2006 and 2010 in Armenia.3 “Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts in Mountain Forest Ecosystems of Armenia” UNDP/GEF/00051202 Project Figure 2. Human causes, 100% such as negligent and 90% reckless use of fire as well 80% as agricultural waste 70% burning on fields are the 60% main reasons for forest fires 50% in Armenia. Between 2004 40% and 2009 on average 66% 30% of forest fires were human- 20% induced and 30% of fires 10% resulted from burning of 0% agricultural waste and 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 stubble fields.5 Other Negligence and other human causes Burning on agricultural lands Human factors are identified as the main cause for fires together with e.g. reduced regeneration success forest fires also in Armenia (Fig. 2). Fires along roads caused by drought and heat stress as well as caused by cigarettes or unmaintained vehicles are a fragmentation and declining forest integrity caused by regular phenomena and fires escaping from fields and anthropogenic factors such as grazing, illegal harvest, pasturelands spread to forests. construction and mining deposits that make the mountain forests of Armenia especially vulnerable Negligence remains one of under climate change. the main causes of forest and grassland fires; for The conservation of Armenia’s forests, which currently example in 2006 a fire occupy only about 332 000 hectares, is a global spreading from a picnic priority as the forests fall under the Caucasus- area burned some 90 Anatolian-Hyrcanian Temperate Forests Ecoregion hectares of ecologically that has been listed by WWF as a Global 200 valuable juniper woodland Ecoregion and by Conservation International as a in the south-eastern biodiversity hotspot. Syunik Marz. Shortcomings of forest and grassland fire management in Armenia The multifaceted issue of forest and grassland fire management exceeds the capacities and Increasing threats on forest ecosystems under responsibilities of any one institution. The organisation changing climate conditions of forest and grassland fire prevention, pre- The arid climate of Armenia makes the country suppression and suppression needs to involve a vulnerable to climate change7. It has been estimated number of organisations from forest and protected that Armenia is among the most sensitive countries in area management units to the Rescue Service and the Europe and Central Asia region in regard to from the scientific community to local community climate change7. Rising temperatures and decreasing members. precipitation are expected to lead to more frequent wildfires, which together with increasing pest The lack of coordinated planning and a clear outbreaks are posing the most immediate impacts on command chain for the organisation of fire fighting with forest ecosystems of Armenia under changing climate clearly defined organisational responsibilities has been conditions. identified as a critical shortcoming of forest and grassland fire management in Armenia6. There is also Although the increasing occurrence of fires may a clear need to move from reactive to proactive forest become a major force altering forest ecosystems and grassland fire management. under climate change, it is the combined impacts of “Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts in Mountain Forest Ecosystems of Armenia” UNDP/GEF/00051202 Project Common goals bridging initiatives Caucasus “Phase Two and Three: Enhancing national capacity on fire management and The identification of the increasing threat posed by wildfire disaster risk reduction in the South wildfires as well as the shortcomings of wildfire Caucasus” (2010-2012). ENVSEC is a framework management has led to the establishment of projects for co-operation between neighbouring states on and initiatives in Armenia and the larger South- security-related environmental issues. Caucasus region with common objectives addressing national capacities in fire management and wildfire Armenian Rescue Service of the Ministry of disaster risk reduction, as well as the national capacity Emergency Situations of Armenia prioritises to moderate, cope with and take advantage of the improving wildfire prevention and fighting. To this consequences of climate change. end, the Rescue Service intended to organise a conference on forest and grassland fire prediction, The UNDP/GEF project “Adaptation to climate prevention and fire fighting bringing together change impacts in mountain forest ecosystems of different stakeholders to develop wildfire Armenia” (2009-2012) aims to enhance the adaptive management in Armenia. To organise the capacities of forest and protected area management to conference, the Rescue Service requested for cope with climate change. Adaptation measures assistance from the UNDP/GEF project. introduced under the project aim to increase the resilience of mountain forest ecosystems to climate change preventing the loss of globally significant biodiversity. The measures include flexible policies, spatial planning and management practices that enhance the inherent adaptability of species and habitats and reduce human-induced pressures that increase vulnerability to climate change. Among others, this includes testing and streamlining of measures to improve forest fire management. National capacities in fire management are addressed also under
Recommended publications
  • Developing the Protected Area System of Armenia
    UNDP Project Document – Amendment for split of the project into two subprojects After decision to execute one part of the project by WWF, the project was split into two subprojects by means of budget revision, creating two AWPs with separate Atlas numbers and budgets. The signed versions of AWP between UNDP and WWF Armenia and the signed version of the budget revision of the existing AWP between UNDP and the Ministry of Nature Protection are attached in PIMS database and Atlas system. UNDP-GEF Medium-Size Project (MSP) Government of Republic of Armenia United Nations Development Programme PIMS: 3986 Subproject with NEX execution: Atlas Award 00057439; Atlas Project ID 00070966 Subproject with NGO execution: Atlas Award 00060500; Atlas Project ID 00076187 Developing the Protected Area System of Armenia Brief description: The project’s goal is to conserve globally significant biodiversity in Armenia. The project’s objective is to catalyze the expansion of the nature reserves to provide better representation of ecosystems within Armenia’s current protected area system and enable active conservation of biodiversity. The project’s two components will focus upon: (1) rationalization of the PA system through improving the regulatory and institutional framework relevant to Sanctuary establishment and operation; and (2) institutional capacity building by piloting a suite of Sanctuary management tools largely absent from Armenian’s current protected area management regime. This project’s efforts will result in a national protected area system better equipped to include and conserve currently under- represented ecosystems and associated species. Project investment will be in community areas to improve management of productive landscapes while helping to promote connectivity and alleviate poverty.
    [Show full text]
  • The Turkey-Armenia-Azerbaijan Triangle: the Unexpected Outcomes of the Zurich Protocols Zaur SHIRIYEV* & Celia DAVIES** Abstract Key Words
    The Turkey-Armenia-Azerbaijan Triangle: The Unexpected Outcomes of the Zurich Protocols Zaur SHIRIYEV* & Celia DAVIES** Abstract Key Words This paper analyses the domestic and regional Zurich Protocols, Turkish-Armenian impact of the Turkish-Armenian normalisation rapprochement/normalisation, Russo- process from the Azerbaijani perspective, with Georgian War, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a focus on the changing dynamic of Ankara- Azerbaijani-Turkish relations. Baku relations. This line of enquiry is informed by international contexts, notably the 2008 Russian-Georgian war and the respective roles Introduction of the US and Russia. The first section reviews the changed regional dynamic following two regional crises: the August War and the Turkish- Between 2008 and 2009, Azerbaijan’s Armenian rapprochement. The second section foreign policy was thrown into a state analyses domestic reaction in Azerbaijan among of crisis. The Russo-Georgian War in political parties, the media, and the public. The third section will consider the normalisation August 2008 followed by the attempted process, from its inception through to its Turkish-Armenian rapprochement suspension. The authors find that the crisis in process (initiated in September 2008) Turkish-Azerbaijani relations has resulted in an intensification of the strategic partnership, unsettled geopolitical perspectives across concluding that the abortive normalisation the Caucasus and the wider region, process in many ways stabilised the pre-2008 throwing traditionally perceived axes status quo in terms of the geopolitical dynamics of the region. of threats and alliances into question. Before the dust had settled on the first conflict, another was already brewing, * Zaur Shiriyev is a foreign policy analyst based destabilising many of Azerbaijan’s in Azerbaijan, a columnist for Today’s Zaman, basic foreign policy assumptions.
    [Show full text]
  • Privatization, State Militarization Through War, and Durable Social Exclusion in Post-Soviet Armenia Anna Martirosyan University of Missouri-St
    University of Missouri, St. Louis IRL @ UMSL Dissertations UMSL Graduate Works 7-18-2014 Privatization, State Militarization through War, and Durable Social Exclusion in Post-Soviet Armenia Anna Martirosyan University of Missouri-St. Louis, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Martirosyan, Anna, "Privatization, State Militarization through War, and Durable Social Exclusion in Post-Soviet Armenia" (2014). Dissertations. 234. https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation/234 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the UMSL Graduate Works at IRL @ UMSL. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of IRL @ UMSL. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Privatization, State Militarization through War, and Durable Social Exclusion in Post-Soviet Armenia Anna Martirosyan M.A., Political Science, University of Missouri - St. Louis, 2008 M.A., Public Policy Administration, University of Missouri - St. Louis, 2002 B.A., Teaching Foreign Languages, Vanadzor Teachers' Training Institute, Armenia, 1999 A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School at the University of Missouri - St. Louis in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science July 11, 2014 Advisory Committee David Robertson, Ph.D. (Chair) Eduardo Silva, Ph.D. Jean-Germain Gros, Ph.D. Kenneth Thomas, Ph.D. Gerard Libardian, Ph.D. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS i
    [Show full text]
  • Improved Coverage and Timing of Childhood Vaccinations in Two Post-Soviet Countries, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan A
    Schweitzer et al. BMC Public Health (2015) 15:798 DOI 10.1186/s12889-015-2091-9 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Improved coverage and timing of childhood vaccinations in two post-Soviet countries, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan A. Schweitzer1*, G. Krause1,2, F. Pessler1,3 and M. K. Akmatov1,3 Abstract Background: Timing of childhood vaccinations has received close attention in many countries. Little is known about the trends in correctly timed vaccination in former Soviet countries. We examined trends in vaccination coverage and correct timing of vaccination in two post-Soviet countries, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, and analyzed factors associated with delayed vaccinations. Methods: We used data from the Demographic and Health Surveys; the surveys were conducted in 2000 (n=1726), 2005 (n=1430) and 2010 (n=1473) in Armenia and in 1997 (n=1127) and 2012 (n=4363) in Kyrgyzstan. We applied the Kaplan-Meier method to estimate age-specific vaccination coverage with diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine and a measles-containing vaccine (MCV). A Cox proportional hazard regression with shared frailty was used to examine factors associated with delayed vaccinations. Results: Vaccination coverage for all three doses of the DTP vaccine increased in Armenia from 92 % in 2000 to 96 % in 2010. In Kyrgyzstan, DTP coverage was 96 % and 97 % in 1997 and 2012, respectively. Vaccination coverage for MCV increased from 89 % (Armenia, 2000) and 93 % (Kyrgyzstan, 1997) to 97 % (Armenia, 2010) and 98 % (Kyrgyzstan, 2012). The proportion of children with correctly timed vaccinations increased over time for all examined vaccinations in both countries. For example, the proportion of children in Armenia with correctly timed first DTP dose (DTP1) increased from 46 % (2000) to 66 % (2010).
    [Show full text]
  • Review of Social Determinants and the Health Divide in the WHO European Region: Final Report
    reprintUpdated 2014 Review of social determinants social of Review The World Health Organization World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency Regional Office for Europe of the United Nations created in UN City 1948 with the primary responsibility Marmorvej 51 for international health matters and DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø public health. The WHO Regional Denmark Office for Europe is one of six regional offices throughout the Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00 world, each with its own programme Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 geared to the particular health E-mail: [email protected] conditions of the countries it serves. Web site: www.euro.who.int Review of social determinants Member States Albania Andorra and the health divide in Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus and the health divide in the WHO European Region: WHO the European in divide health the and the WHO European Region: Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus final report Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Moldova Romania Russian Federation San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden final report final Switzerland Tajikistan The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Turkey Turkmenistan Ukraine United Kingdom Uzbekistan panos pictures | cover photo: bjoern steinz WHO-UCL SDH 2014 final full cover PRESS 260514.indd 1 26/05/2014 09:48 WHO-UCL SDH 2014 final full cover PRESS 260514.indd 2 26/05/2014 09:48 Review of social determinants and the health divide in the WHO European Region: final report Review chair Michael Marmot Report prepared by UCL Institute of Health Equity Abstract The WHO European Region has seen Keywords remarkable health gains in populations that Health inequities have experienced progressive improvements Health management and planning in the conditions in which people are born, Health status disparities grow, live and work.
    [Show full text]
  • EC/FAO Programme on Information Systems to Improve Food Security Decision- Making in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) East Area
    EC/FAO Programme on Information Systems to Improve Food Security Decision- Making in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) East Area National workshop: “Agricultural policies to support economic growth and the reduction of food insecurity and poverty in rural areas” Tuesday 5 March 2013, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova 1. Background A national workshop on “Agricultural policies to support economic growth and the reduction of food insecurity and poverty in rural areas” was organised on 5 March 2013 under the “EC/FAO Programme on Information Systems to Improve Food Security Decision- Making in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) East Area”. The Programme is financed by the European Commission (EC) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The objective of the EC/FAO Programme is to improve food security by enhancing the national capacity to generate, analyse, communicate and mainstream more relevant and reliable information into policies and programmes. It is being implemented in four countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova. The development of agriculture is currently receiving a lot of attention from policy-makers in the four countries covered by the EC/FAO Programme, which is mainly explained by the determination of the countries to reduce their dependency from grain exporting countries (South Caucasus) and to increase the contribution of agriculture to economic development (Moldova). Renewed focus on agriculture is one of the outcomes of the global crisis with, among other consequences, rising food prices and difficulty to secure grain imports in years of tight production due to export bans in traditional grain supplier countries in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • State-Building and the European Union's Fight Against Corruption In
    State-Building and the European Union’s Fight against Corruption in the Southern Caucasus Tanja A. Börzel and Vera van Hüllen Freie Universität Berlin [email protected], [email protected] Paper presented at the 2013 Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, Panel “External Actors, State-Building, and Service Provision in Areas of Limited Statehood”, San Francisco, CA, 3-6 April 2013 Abstract This paper asks under which conditions the state-building efforts of external actors in areas of limited statehood are likely to be effective. We argue that the legitimacy of the specific norms promoted by external actors among local actors is crucial for their success in strengthening state capacities. International norms need to resonate with the dominant domestic discourse on political reforms. To substantiate our argument, we focus on the European Union’s (EU) anti-corruption programs and their implementation in one of the most corrupt regions in the world, the Southern Caucasus. We show that legitimacy can explain why the EU’s fight against corruption helped reduce corruption in Georgia but not in Armenia. In both countries, political elites could selectively use anti-corruption programs as an instrument against political opponents using enhanced state capacities to stabilize the incumbent regime. Only in Georgia, however, the fight against corruption was facilitated by sustained domestic mobilization for anti-corruption policies that added pressure on political elites ‘from below.’ 1 Introduction1 During the past twenty years, states and international organizations have become involved in state- building in areas of limited statehood. In line with Krasner and Risse (2013) in this special issue, the paper asks under which conditions the efforts of these external actors are likely to be effective.
    [Show full text]
  • Armenia Highlights
    THE PRIME MINISTER AttENDS TURKEY AND RELI- AN EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO GIOUS FREEDOM page 4 Tigran The greaT‘s 2150Th ANNIVERSARY PAGE 2 ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS Weekly Digest of the Government of Armenia December 1-6 2010 THEMA President SERZH SARGSYAN PARTICIPATED AT THE 7TH SUMMIT OF THE OSCE “Quote of the week” “Speaking about tigran the great, we mean the commonly Shared dream of the armenian people, the idea of a mighty and powerful homeland which iS forever associ- ated with the name of tigran the great “ tigran SargSyan pm of armenia n december 1, in the capital dent Serzh Sargsyan, who has arrived to oof kazakhstan astana presi- the capital of kazakhstan to participate dent Serzh Sargsyan participated at the oSCE Summit in astana, held to- at the 7th Summit of the oSCE. in day a number of meetings with the heads Upcoming Events the framework of the Summit, the of State and heads of delegations. after president of armenia met with the meeting in the morning with the president president of Slovenia danilo turk. of Slovenia danilo trk, in the afternoon DECEMBER 7: Armenia marks the presidents Sargsyan and turk discussed president Sargsyan met with the presi- day of Earthquake in 1988 issues pertaining to the development of dent of european council herman van the armenian-Slovenian relations, coop- rompuy, the head of the british delega- DECEMBER 9-10: Sitting of the eration of the two countries in the frame- tion deputy prime minister nick clegg CSTO Collective Security Council work of international organizations and and the president of Serbia boris tadic.
    [Show full text]
  • LINK Global Economic Outlook June 2011
    Unedited draft United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs LINK Global Economic Outlook June 2011 Table of Contents Acknowledgements............................................................................................................. 3 Overview............................................................................................................................. 4 Global macroeconomic prospects....................................................................................... 5 The international economic environment for developing countries ................................... 9 Uncertainties and risks...................................................................................................... 12 Policy challenges .............................................................................................................. 15 Regional prospects............................................................................................................ 21 Annex tables...................................................................................................................... 53 List of Text Boxes, Table and Figures Box 1: Major assumptions for baseline forecast ………………………………………….5 Box 2: China: Internationalization of Renminbi…………………………………………42 Figure 1: Volatile but declining United States dollar…………………………………… 11 Figure 2: Appreciating exchange rates in selected developing countries……………….. 12 Figure 3: Development of major US monetary indicators……………………………….23 Figure 4: Exports of selected
    [Show full text]
  • EC/FAO Programme on Information Systems to Improve Food Security Decision- Making in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) East Area
    EC/FAO Programme on Information Systems to Improve Food Security Decision- Making in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) East Area National workshop: “Agricultural policies to support economic growth and the reduction of food insecurity and poverty in rural areas” 19 March 2013 Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan 1. Background A national workshop on “Agricultural policies to support economic growth and the reduction of food insecurity and poverty in rural areas” was organised on 19 March 2013 under the “EC/FAO Programme on Information Systems to Improve Food Security Decision- Making in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) East Area”. The Programme is financed by the European Commission (EC) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The objective of the EC/FAO Programme is to improve food security by enhancing the national capacity to generate, analyse, communicate and mainstream more relevant and reliable information into policies and programmes. It is being implemented in four countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova. The development of agriculture is currently receiving a lot of attention from policy-makers in the four countries covered by the EC/FAO Programme, which is mainly explained by the determination of the countries to reduce their dependency on grain exporting countries (South Caucasus) and to increase the contribution of agriculture to economic development (Moldova). Renewed focus on agriculture is one of the outcomes of the global crisis with, among other consequences, rising food prices and difficulty to secure grain imports at affordable conditions in years of tight production due to export bans in traditional grain supplier countries in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • Armenia Highlights
    RA PRIME MINISTER par- ARMENIAN-RF FRIENDSHIP TICIpaTES IN ACTION ON MAY SERVE EXAMPLE FOR REFUSE COLLECTION AT other states – leader HraZDAN GORGE PAGE 3 PAGE 4 ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS Weekly Digest of the Government of Armenia 31 May - 6 June, 2010 THEMA “Quote of the week” “Today relations between Armenia and Russia are based on a firm founda- tion. I am sure that we will continue to strengthen re- lations” SERZH SARGSYAN PRESIDENT OF RA REFORMATION OF THE PENSION SYSTEM WERE DIS- Upcoming Events CUSSED AT THE WORKING MEETING INVITED BY THE June 9: PM Tigran Sargsyan to PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA participate in the opening cer- emony of DigiTech eformation of the pension system and system reforms for the state budget, tax burden for possible solutions to the existing prob- businesses, and levels of income taxation. They R June 10: PM Tigran Sargsyan to lems were discussed today at the working also spoke about the efficient management of participate RF Day in Armenia meeting invited by the President of Armenia. the accumulative pension fund, deposit security President Sargsyan said that with initiating a guarantees, and accessibility of the services relat- June 26 - July 6: International substantial reformation such as this one, the ed to the introduction of the system for the public. state is required to discuss all the pertinent At the conclusion of the meeting, President Open Chess Tournament in Jermuk issues, find proper solutions, and to assess Serzh Sargsyan once again underscored the possible risks. Serzh Sargsyan underlined necessity to discuss the concept of the pen- July 11-18: The seventh an- that all state structures, which are involved sion system reformation with different social nual Golden Apricot Yerevan in the reformation of the pension system, groups – workers, students and the others: “The International Film Festival should display the utmost persistence in concept may be well designed, however only devising and implementing these reforms.
    [Show full text]
  • Mainstreaming Agrobiodiversity in Sustainable Food Systems Scientific Foundations for an Agrobiodiversity Index
    Mainstreaming Agrobiodiversity in Sustainable Food Systems Scientific Foundations for an Agrobiodiversity Index Mainstreaming Agrobiodiversity in Sustainable Food Systems Scientific Foundations for an Agrobiodiversity Index Editorial Board Walter de Boef, Marie Haga, Lindiwe Sibanda, Prof. MS Swaminathan, Paul Winters Technical Advisory Board Fetien Abay, Natasha Ali, Francesco Branca, Alan de Brauw, Salvatore Ceccarelli, Hannes Dempewolf, Willy Douma, Jan Engels, Jessica Fanzo, Christine Negra, Stineke Oenema, Jean Louis Pham, Ramanatha Rao, Marja Thijssen Production team Editor: Arwen Bailey Editorial assistance: Alexandra del Castello, Nora Capozio, Marta Millere, Samantha Collins Design, concept, realization: Pablo Gallo Bioversity International is a global research-for-development organization. We have a vision – that agricultural biodiversity nourishes people and sustains the planet. We deliver scientic evidence, management practices and policy options to use and safeguard agricultural and tree biodiversity to attain sustainable global food and nutrition security. We work with partners in low-income countries in different regions where agricultural and tree biodiversity can contribute to improved nutrition, resilience, productivity and climate change adaptation. Citation Bioversity International, 2017. Mainstreaming Agrobiodiversity in Sustainable Food Systems: Scientic Foundations for an Agrobiodiversity Index. Bioversity International, Rome, Italy. Chapters 2 and 6 contribute to the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH). The opinions expressed here belong to the authors, and do not necessarily reect those of A4NH or CGIAR. Cover photo: Planting rice in Nepal. Credit: Bioversity International/Sriram Subedi, LI-BIRD, Lamjung © Bioversity International 2017 Bioversity International Headquarters Via dei Tre Denari, 472/a 00054 Maccarese (Fiumicino) Italy Tel. (+39) 06 61181 Fax. (+39) 06 6118402 [email protected] www.bioversityinternational.org Bioversity International is a CGIAR Research Centre.
    [Show full text]